right now no time for the "ridicu-list." that does it for us. "piers morgan live" starts now. be the most dramatic day in the zimmerman trial yet. who will mark o'mara calls a his last witness?

>> is this injury you see in this exhibit consistent with having been punched in the nose? >> yes, sir. >> this is exhibit 48. we'll put it on the projector and see if you can find the detail. this is represented as the photograph taken several hours later at the police department of mr. zimmerman's face. testimony of this man, dr. vincent di maio. >> reporter: of course. the lights on behind me, this is a see quested jury so they are getting as much done as fast as they can and accomplished so much with the witness you just talked about. dr. vincent di maio. heard of him? probably. he's like the grand dad of pathology, he was the medical examiner in beaux county in texas and made incredible

arguments, so many points the prosecution made. listen to the first part, he goes after what the prosecution said. first of all, if george zimmerman tried to put out trayvon von martin's hands after she hot him, why were the hands under the body f. george zimmerman said trayvon mapp martin said you got me, how is that possible after being shot in the heart? listen to his explanation. >> even if i, right now, reached across, put my hand through your chest, grabbed your heart and ripped it out, you could stand there and talk to me for 10 to 15 seconds or walk over to me, because the thing that's controlling your move the and ability to speak is the brain, and that has a reserved supply

of 10 to 15 seconds. >> reporter: that is powerful stuff, piers. you cannot argue with this guy's dee meaner, too. he was looking to the jury and telling them his explanation. >> the second thing that was, i thought, very significant was he testified that zimmerman's injuries also fit his account involving being stunned. tell me about this. >> reporter: oh, this is huge. if it's second-degree murder, they have to determine if these injuries were bad enough, that this defendant can say i feared for my life. they said those injuries were minor. it was a bit of blood but the scalp bleeds a lot. these weren't intention and listen to dr. vincent di maio what it's like when you get your bell rung. >> you fall and hit your head

and you can get a mild concussion. you don't lose consciousness. you just appear stunned. i know this is not a medical term but stunning goes to concussion goes to getting worse. i think the best thing is stunned. >> reporter: so look, piers, that's critical because if george zimmerman had his head banged around and this witness said up to six times, he testified if it doesn't show on the inside, the injury and stunning, you know, impression that can be actually experienced by the victim who was getting his bell rung could lead you to actually fear for your life, even though it might not show it in photos afterwards. >> no, he was obviously very effective for the defense but the prosecution got into him as well. dr. di maio said he didn't know

how the fight started and that in itself could be important, too. who threw that first punch. >> reporter: look, that's a huge deal. we had weeks of testimony, we had arguments, what i like to call the smoking gun who touched what when. what this jury may have to determine is who threw the first punch and did anyone cry uncle. if you do throw the first punch and you cry uncle and try to get away, things change. all of a sudden, you do have a right to defend yourself. >> now, doctor, you're not saying -- you're not testifying here as to who started what led up to the death of trayvon martin? >> that's correct, sir. >> and you're not saying as to who attacked who, whether it was george zimmerman who attacked trayvon martin or whether it was trayvon martin that attacked george zimmerman, you can't say that, correct?

>> that's correct, sir. >> in fact, you can't testify as to who threw the first punch? >> that's correct, sir. >> in fact, you can't really testify whether there was a first punch thrown? >> that's correct, sir. >> you know what, piers, i got to say, when i was listening to the direct examination of dr. vincent di maio, i thought who on earth is that prosecutor going to do to mop up the damage that's being done by this defense case with this witness? but he did a masterful job and i will say this on the record, early and often, these are masterful lawyers that work in there. bernie did an incredible job of mitigating the damage but in the end, it was a very long set of facts that, you know, these defense lawyers were able to strike down in the prosecutor's case. >> ashley, we're expecting it may be as early as tomorrow they rest the case, the defense. what happens next procedure in

the trial? >> reporter: we are coming down to the last few moments that are so, so critical. opening statements are super important, evidence obviously critical and get towards the closings. when mark o'mara wraps the defense case you have a rebuttal case, probably fairly brief, not more than a day perhaps where the prosecutors get the final word with the rebuttal case and charging conference. the lawyers have to go in chambers with the judge and decide what will we ask this jury to do? second-degree murder that's there but what about the lessers? can we give them lesser options if they aren't prepared to go all the way. maybe the prosecutors will assess their work so far and how their work has landed in this live courtroom, and maybe they will decide i don't think we can

get this far. maybe we need lower options. maybe the defense attorneys will say we're not interested in lower options. go for broke, see how you do. this is the most amazing part of a trial. you got to assess how has the case gone so far, how did our witnesses perform? do we think we can go all the way? >> ashleigh banfield, thank you very much, indeed. outside the courtroom, watching every moment of this case, jane, they are still in there late at night in the courtroom. what is going on, do you think? >> well, this is an epic battle and at it's heart is whether or not they will put the dead, young, man the victim on trial here and the defense wants to take text messages and facebook posts that make trayvon martin look bad and maybe talking about fighting and firearms and introduce that before the jury to try to basically smear the victim. i certainly think that that's not really what this case is

about but the defense often tries to do that. they try to essentially put the victim on trial, and that's what they are arguing about right now. >> we also heard evidence today from george zimmerman's neighbor took the stand via video because she wasn't feeling well. how significant do you think was her testimony? >> reporter: well, she's an african american lady who testified via skype and i think the unspoken message from the defense was look, george zimmerman has an african american neighbor with who he is friendly. she has no problems with him. he has no problems with her, so the unspoken message is look, he's not this racist who is profiling trayvon martin. so i think that was the main message, but what she said verbally was that when she was shown a photograph by law enforcement of george zimmerman that his face was very disfigured, particularly his nose was bloodied so that she

knew what he looked like normally and that would go to the defense argument he was beaten up. >> she also said she recognized george zimmerman's voice the one screaming on the 911 tape. it prompt s the question if they are so convinced, the defense, that is their man on the tape and she's still alive unlike trayvon martin, why don't they try to recreate it, tape him screaming so we can compare and hear them both? >> reporter: you mean have him go to the very spot and issue that yell and then record and it try to play it before the jury? they have gotten one better, piers. they put together this animation use in movies like iron man that tells george zimmerman eastside of the story and those agree with zimmerman. there was a monumental battle that went on for hours over it. the judge reserved her decision but essentially, the only person who has not given their opinion and weighed in on that animation and offered insights is the dead young man who can in the hospital do so. certainly, they didn't include in the an mission the insights

of his friend rachel jeantel. she said she heard trayvon screaming get off, get off but the animation doesn't show that. the defense wants to introduce it, the prosecution says it's absolutely unfair and the jurors will play it over and over again in the jury room and convince themselves to believe zimmerman. a former florida circuit court judge and the host of judge alex. judge alex, this is getting down to the real nitty gritty, isn't it? >> yes. >> this animation video, it's pure property -- propaganda isn't it? >> they want to tell the story they believe happened. so for the prosecution to get in and say well, this doesn't have the parts we think happened, of course it doesn't. if you create our own animation, you want put in trayvon martin zimmerman because that's the defense theory, not yours.

still i think it should come in as a demonstrative aid. there are holes to be filled because some things haven't been testified to. >> this evidence from vincent demayo, he's obviously incredibly experienced but there were holes i thought the prosecution got into right at the end there, very skillfully. take it in totality, what did you think of it? >> i thought it was devastating. i thought this was an emmy -- the doctor we saw last week, dr. bao, he was not the way that you're used to seeing medical examiners testified. dr. di maio is not just a well-known, he's world renowned. he's the guy that wrote the book on firearm evidence. but he's a great forensic pathologist and you see how he testified. he kit the key points. he talked about the powder, the

powder tattoos indicating that the shirt was 2 to 4 inches away from the body consistent with zimmerman's testimony martin was leaning over. we saw a witness said wet back and grass on the back of zimmerman and on the knees of trayvon. >> to me -- >> he hit the key points about the absence of bruising on the knuckles which to me i think is a big point. >> he said it doesn't happen after you die. >> he said you lose blood pressure. the bruising does not occur. now the prosecution did get up and try to score points but i really disagree. saying to the medical examiner you don't know who threw the first punch when you don't know who threw the first punch is not effective. the prosecution doesn't have one witness to say george zimmerman threw the first punch. >> nobody knows florida law like you. don't they have to establish in the jury's eyes that he was attacked first? >> that's a good way to start because if you're the attacker you have a lot more to do to claim self-defense, withdrawal, back out. there is evidence trayvon through the first punch from george's mouth. he's bias and on trial but you need something to rebut that and

the prosecution does not. the real key issue and this is where the jury could convict george zimmerman of manslaughter. the key issue is what he's on his back, when trayvon is on top of him, is he in a position where he fears for his life -- >> is that all that matters in the end. >> in the end, that's all that matters. >> in the florida law, that's what matters. what happens before, after is irrelevant. >> if at that point he's in reasonable fear for his look and dr. di maio said, if a guy has -- this was his quote if the guy has the injuries he had you take him to the er because this little minor cuts on the back of the head are not dangerous but indicative of a serious impact on the head that would cause brain swelling, bleeding things like that. that's the point the defense will make. they will say how does george know? if his head is getting hit, nose is broken, how does he know if the next hit will crack his skull and that's what they will rely on. if they buy it itself defense, if not, it's manslaughter e. i don't see second. the man that defended another controversial client, casey anthony. i'll ask him how he thought the defense did. the will behind will macavoy. in the newsroom with me tonight. court still in session tonight in the case most >> in the florida law, that's what matters. what happens before, after is irrelevant. >> if at that point he's in

reasonable fear for his look and dr. di maio said, if a guy has -- this was his quote if the guy has the injuries he had you take him to the er because this little minor cuts on the back of the head are not dangerous but indicative of a serious impact on the head that would cause brain swelling, bleeding things like that. that's the point the defense will make. they will say how does george know? if his head is getting hit, nose is broken, how does he know if the next hit will crack his skull and that's what they will rely on. if they buy it itself defense, if not, it's manslaughter e. i don't see second. the man that defended another controversial client, casey anthony. i'll ask him how he thought the defense did. the will behind will macavoy.

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court still in session tonight in the case most explosive since the casey anthony trial. her defense attorney mr. mason has a lot to say and joins me now for an exclusive interview. welcome back, cheney. as we approach the final moments of the defense case, what is your thought where the case is going? >> i don't think the state has proven a case of second-degree murder or frankly, even come close to it. they can't always choose their witnesses. you heard me say that before. you heard the medical examiner, the witness, the defense comes along with dr. di maio who is a phenomenal witness and i think that that was a -- a very good day for the defense. >> and in terms of dr. di maio and his testimony, as you say, he's incredible imminent, very

world renowned and spoke in a language that would be extremely effective to a jury. if you have ordinary people sitting there listening to this guy, you found him really credible i would think. >> he is credible. i didn't get to see all of it but what i did see is rational. it made sense, he was responsive. intelligent, articulate compared to the state examiner who was horrendous. >> that is true. this is what the prosecutor challenged him that trayvon placed his hand on his nose and mouth. let's look at this. >> the photograph taken at the scene. >> yes. >> i'm sorry, of the defendant i apologize where he has blood there, right? >> right. >> okay.

i put my hand over that, right? >> okay. >> what do you expect my hand to have on it? >> blood. >> you see, i thought that, too, was a big moment because i don't understand why in this new world of dna where you can dredge people out of rivers and still find dna on them and find people buried with dna on them, why would there be no dna whatsoever on trayvon martin that related to the gun or george zimmerman? >> well, i have no problem with there being no dna from a gun, because it was handled and probably not handled the best way. it is certainly curious that there was no blood on the hands or clothing, apparently, of mr. martin from zimmerman. that's what i heard. the part that's been shown to me. a bloody nose and the bleeding he had, you would think there would be some transfer of

evidence, some blood that would be on mr. martin's clothing but from what i saw, apparently there wasn't. >> but -- >> so i don't know -- >> let's cut to the quick with this. if there is absolutely zero dna on trayvon martin of george zimmerman's blood and no evidence that he's actually hit anybody, that anyone can find, why should we believe the defense theory that he punched zimmerman in the face and then repeatedly smashed his head into concrete? it just doesn't really fly, does it? >> well, all you have is the evidence that you have. you have photographs taken the night of the incident by police officer or people there with their cameras, their cell phones taking picture. no time or to stage or plan that and there it is, the facts as they were. there is question that mr. zimmerman had injuries.

the question is were they severe enough to cause him to reasonably fear great bodily harm or death? all -- you know, monday morning quarterbacking of that in the world won't help. what is important is what was in his mind and at that time, if it was reasonable. if he had a reasonable fear of great bodily harm or death, then, you know, he had a right to defend himself and unfortunately, to shoot. that's going to be the jury question. there is no who done it here? there is no question of who, what, how? it's a matter of why. and if mr. zimmerman -- if the jury finds that he was in reasonable fear for great bodily harm or that there is a reasonable doubt as to whether or not he had that reasonable fear, then they would be compelled to follow the law and find him not guilty that is as to second-degree murder and there is still a necessarily lesser included offense of manslaughter that i've not heard much conversation about, but i'm

sure it will be instructed to the jury. >> the way he was most effective, is when he talked about forensic medical evidence he believed was incontrovertible that made martin on top of zimmerman because of the way the gunshot had went into him. that was very powerful because that would play to zimmerman's version of events trayvon was on top. in the end, you're left with unanswered questions and the big question for me and i think many people is if there is so many unanswered questions, will the jury be able to let him just walk free? >> i don't -- he's cutting out. sorry, piers, you cut out. i couldn't hear your question. >> i'll make it shorter, cheney. the point is you can have all this evidence that says look, looks like trayvon was on top et cetera, et cetera but is it right, i asked this question last night that zimmerman should

be acquitted, allowed to walk free given that he shot an unarmed teenager? because that's what it comes down to. >> that that is what it comes down to. it's a hard decision to make. i've been involved in handling homicide cases for 40 years among others. juries usually like somebody to be responsible for and pay for a death. whether there is a death no question of who did it, when, how or where they did it, now they have to just deal with why. and i can tell you that my feelings right now from what i have seen, and i certainly have not been able to see all of the proceedings because i still work for a living with other cases, what i have seen, though, i think there at least is a significant reasonable doubt as

to whether or not mr. zimmerman was justified in what he did based on the fear of great bodily harm. now, you know, i have listened todays of hearing all this stuff back and forth about who hollered, who was screaming? i don't know that that really matters because as many people saying that it was mr. martin as there are mr. zimmerman. i don't know whether that's going to carry a date with the jury or not. i think they are more inclined to look at the injuries and determine whether or not the justified with a reasonable belief of fear of great bodily harm and then go from there. no one saw the first punch. no one knows how it started, as i understand it, even as of now and there was a fight and there are some witnesses saying one was on top and one -- and another was. all we know for a fact is this young man was killed, and that's tragic. >> cheney mason, as always, thank you very much indeed. >> you're welcome.

next, reasonable doubt, as the defense created in the minds of the jury whether zimmerman is found not guilty. i'll talk about it tonight in law and disorder. that's coming up next. ( bell rings ) they remind me so much of my grandkids. wish i saw mine more often, but they live so far away. i've been thinking about moving in with my daughter and her family. it's been pretty tough since jack passed away. it's a good thing you had life insurance through the colonial penn program.

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was there any conversation with law enforcement before that as to how to get the tapes for these witnesses before it happened? >> at that point they weren't witnesses, they were parents. >> the mayor just decided on your own as to how they would be played? >> the decision was made to make them public. the purpose of showing them to the martin family so they heard it first as a courtesy to the family. >> a fascinating moment as the defense grilled the city manager with it's decision to play the 911 call without law enforcement in the world. let's talk about it now. welcome to you both. >> good evening.

>> what do you think? a curious set of events after trayvon martin died? >> absolutely and part of it was a political response to what was beginning to be civic unrest. there was serious parts of investigation and they wanted the parents to heart tape outside law enforcement because they wanted to console parents. i didn't think that was a big problem but an issue that raises the eyebrow. >> have politics taken over from law enforcement here? >> well, if so, it really was just a response to what -- how this started. there was almost civil unrest because it was outrageous in my opinion that mr. zimmerman wasn't arrested immediately and this stuff faired out now wasn't faired out later. it was simply a response to the political decision i believe had been made initially which was not to arrest mr. zimmerman. >> mark, in terms of the trial in totality, the general legal view seems to be that the case of second-degree murder with the

prosecution, but the main to present and manslaughter. >> absolutely. >> the problem with that is because zimmerman is considered for manslaughter could get time. >> not in light of the events. we're not talking about something unavoidable for a momentary slip of judgment but a vigilante who pursue add young man when being told to stand down by police. this isomeone with a record of just basically harassing anyone that came in the neighborhood who he thought didn't belong which is dangerous and loaded.

>> let me ask you this, if we assume what he say social security right and dr. di maio today was pretty compelling in his testimony, so if you assume that george zimmerman is on the floor, trayvon martin is on top of him and already punched him hard in the head and banged him perhaps six times in the concrete causing injuries -- and cause me, causing injuries to the back of his head and to his nose. if we assume that's correct. >> right. >> and we assume he was stunned, if that is all right, was he justified given he's legally allowed to carry a firearm and stunned and incoherent is he justified? >> i don't concede that hypothetical is counter functional. i don't want to -- even hypothetically i don't want that in the air there is still a moment we have to decide and george has to decide whether or not zimmerman had the opportunity to leave, whether zimmerman had a moment where he no longer felt in danger for has life and still pursued and escalated the violence. that's a question that jurors have to answer and that point isn't negotiated by the fact he was on top. >> i mean, this comes down to so many aspects of american life, doesn't it? it comes down to class, to race, to violence, to guns, to

self-defense, what will the ramifications be of this case, do you think? >> well, i don't know that there will be any ramifications. i think what is so interesting about the case and the reason it's captivated us is there are all of those issues owe described but at the end of the day, we have to focus on evidence. it wouldn't be unreasonable to presume that the juror haves a pretty good sense of what happened. this was a neighborhood vigilante. he was profiling trayvon martin. i believe that all of those things are true, and i wouldn't be surprised if the jury thought that was true, but that's really

not the issue. the issue is was this case proved beyond a reasonable doubt when focussing on the evidence, and i don't think that it's been. >> i agree. >> let me ask you about the jury itself. we've got six women, five are mothers. to me, when sybrina fulton gave her evidence, that was incredibly powerful and seen her walking out of the courtroom unable to see or hear certain parts of testimony involving her son. that has to hit home with mothers. that has to at some stage hit home. >> as you know, i was part of the o.j. simpson defense team and i sat in front of the

simpson family and the goldman family and they were visibly moved every single solitary day. and everyone in that courtroom felt for them but at the end of the day you have to put that aside if you follow the the judge's instructions and most jurors do and focus on the evidence. you feel for the parents and they do. >> there are five mothers and five white people and one thing those five white people have to consider is if i were on that street and i saw trayvon, how would i feel? what the defense team has done a masterful job of doing is putting trayvon on trial so we continue to see trayvon like many black men, as a civic threat -- >> what if trayvon was a young black women and been scared because trayvon was only 150 odd pounds. >> right. >> if it was a young black woman walking home and turned around and punched him in the face for argument sake, we wouldn't be having this conversation. he would have been convicted. >> he would have been convicted but because we have this history of seeing black male bodies dangerous and threatening and worthy of lethal force. we see it all the time because they seem worthy of lethal force because we see them as so violence, only purveyors of violence, it's reasonable to believe george zimmerman was justified. they may say i may have made the same decision and find reasonable doubt. >> mark lamont hill, my apologies for sneezing there. >> jeff daniels, i'll ask him have you ever sneezed live on

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you know all those times the two of you ask me why i was' republican as if that needs an

explanation -- >> i never -- >> i never heard you ask anyone why they are a democrat. the purposeful suspension of common sense. >> it's a crime you have to be -- >> the white house counsel, there is a legal analysis. there is a memorandum that allows the president to do this. >> great, can we see it. >> the smart, brilliant news anchor is here and so, of course, is jeff daniels. my producer had smug arrogant but i refuse to be so belittled by my team. how are you? twitter has blown up with the fact that i sneezed live on air. >> i thought it was a brilliant moment, i really did. >> did you feel for me? >> i didn't feel for you at all, but you can expect to see that in season three. >> [ laughter ] what have you learned about perhaps the difficulties of the job that i do and other news anchors do from doing now two seasons of newsroom?

>> well, having -- having to do all the homework on -- like for the zimmerman trial like you just did. i mean, you really have to become an expert on whatever the issue is of the day. the other thing that i've really become -- come to admire about the networks, what you guys do is when news breaks, whether boston bombings or san francisco airplane trash on the montreal train and you guys go on the air and stay on air and hang on to what you know. you can't speculate. you can't wonder if, what if. you have to stick to facts. that is difficult to do when you have to stay on air for another 20 minutes or something. that the hard. that's where you earn your money. >> what do you make of the trayvon martin trial? because it has in a strange way gripped many americans, others think, you know, that the networks are going to begone this and in the end another murder case or for america every day but i think it says more about america, what do you think? >> i agree.

it says a lot about america extra and similar to the o.j. thing. it's race. race is in it. it may not enter the trial but that's a big part of what everybody is watching, and, you know, reasonable doubt is a hell of a thing to overcome. >> what about self-defense, guns the right of an mer can to carry one and use it and potentially he may well walk away a freeman? >> yeah, well, i'm one of the guys that goes back to the second amendment and just goes, you know what, it was a different time and now we're into the sandy hooks and the, you know, all of that and whatever happened between george zimmerman and trayvon martin that night, only they know. one of them had a gun, and they are real easy to get and i'm one of the guys that would go, let's 90% of america said background checks, let's do a better job of

policing it, and i know the gun law -- the gun enthusiasts get bent out of shape about that, but it's a different world now. >> what would it take for something to change in america, and i was absolutely convinced it would be sandy hook. when i saw that happen, i thought this will be the tipping point and within six months, it turned out it wasn't at all. nothing changed. >> we're so divided as a country. it goes back to what aaron wrote in the first episode of the first season when will mcavoy goes on this rant we're not the greatest country in the world. oh, man, you would think we declared communest or something. not even sandy hook can't bridge the divide that this country is in right now. >> so what is the answer? how does america come through this and be better? >> i -- well, i think it's at the voting booth. i think -- i think that america

sits in the middle. on some issues to the right, on some issues to the left. they are the people -- i love when the politicians go, you know, the american people say you don't know what the american people say. you're saying what your lobbyist and special interests are saying so knock it off. the people are sitting in the middle going where is tip o'neil. where is ron regan? get in the room and don't come out until you get a deal. obama, bayner, don't come out until you have a deal. no food, no water, do that. that's what they have been doing for several -- couple hundred years and we don't do that anymore. that would be a start, and if not, then see it -- see you at the voting booth. >> tell me about season two of newsroom. i watched the first episode last night. it looked to me like for everyone is now into their stride of this show and what it is about.

one of the big story lines coming up that will show most? >> will, the center of the program and all that. it was also a first draft. you got a guy who if you go into his office you need sunglasses because of the awards -- >> right. >> there are lights on them. the guy -- >> he's a genius. >> he is where he is for a reason. he's getting used to the actor and what this is. this is newsroom. maybe i'm going this way, maybe i'm going that. now we're into the second season and he did a smart thing, he went straight for a story that involves -- that is triggered by the six or eight of us in the show and about a drone strike and we chase and it chase it and make horrible, horrible journalist mistakes. we're not going after fox, cnn, msnbc like accused.

>> [ laughter ] >> what these people did and what we do, what anyone else has done in the real world of cable news pails in comparison. i like that he went fictional. for us, the second season like with erin, okay, we know what this is. we got this. i know who will is. i walk out, he's there. cast all the way down the cast, everybody knows what they are doing and their purpose and aaron knows how to write for it. the second season felt like the third or fourth. >> an amazing story, aaron did the first three programs and went to hbo and said i'm not happy -- i read it and the hollywood reporter said i'm not happy with this. i want to redo most of it and agreed and redid three episodes. >> yeah. >> you as the star of the show, what is that like when you put this graft into making these episodes and get told, we're doing it again?

>> after i through the tantrum? >> yeah. >> after that -- >> please tell me. >> the table went up and over. he goes, you know, it's a writing problem. i -- i have gone to hbo and the days of a network or a studio going, you know what? strap the first two and he probably scrapped 80% of the first two. >> amazing. >> six weeks of work and then we came back in january and basically started over, but he had it. it was a structure thing. >> how did you feel as an actor in that situation after putting that work in? >> i go back to purple rose of cairo with woody alan. we probably reshot 40% of it. when o ryan studio would give them the money. what can i do to help you and support you and we get another

shot at it >> woody, i'll bet we reshot 40% angie's list -- reviews you can trust. is as much about getting there... ♪ ...as it is being there. ♪ [ birds chirping ] away is where the days are packed with wonder...

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back now with jeff daniels. he's a great friend of james gandolfini. obviously a devastating blow. you knew him really well. you did many, many shows with him. what was your reaction when you heard that he died at 51? >> i couldn't believe it. he -- he was a great guy. he really was a great guy. you read a lot about

celebrities, and jimmy had his issues, but what you don't read about is what kind of father he was and the generosity he exhibited to the "sopranos" cast on a few occasions regarding money. but he did the same thing when "god of carnage" on broadway. he's the reason we were there, and he said we're going to extend it and everybody gets paid the same. >> it seems he didn't find the mantle of game very comfortable. and when he became so famous, he just found it difficult to deal with. >> and i say this with great respect to him, he lacked technique. he was most comfortable when he could just go. the theater is all about technique and repeat and repeating it month after month. he had to learn how to do that and be comfortable in that and he resisted that for a while. i remember talking to him and just going, you know, straightened him out and just go, follow me, it's okay, it's

okay. and the four of us came from four completely different places, acting styles and careers. and we came together and we were wildly successful in the show. at the time it was on broadway, it was the thing to see, way beyond what we thought. so i'll always remember the four of us. i'll remember the four of us the two or three minutes where we were behind the curtain and you could hear the 1200 people buzzing with excitement because they got tickets and they're going to see it and it's just the four of us. we talk about this or that. i'll always remember that. >> yeah. he was an amazing guy. i'm getting inundated with

tweets. this is a classic, from violeta gonzalez saying, piers morgan, i'm thinking jeff daniels should be a permanent co-anchor on your show. she's the only one to use the word "co." tell me you're not going to go in the news business. >> victoria, i'm fictional and not even here right now. >> you have to come in and stand in for me one night. the second season of "the newsroom" premieres this sunday on hbo. please do not come into my business. >> pleasure. >> we'll be right back. tomorrow night, what could be the most dramatic day in the

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